General Chat

Bridget

you could use mixed spice or cinnamon, I think allspice can be a little over powering.

In this recession times I have been looking at some of my mums recipe books

For instance

Corned Beef Balls

serves 4

1 tbsp grated onion, 1 tsp curry powder, 6 oz corned beef finely dice, 1/2 teacup of breadcrumbs, 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce, a little milk.

Heat some oil in a pan and dry fry the onion, stir in curry powder, cook for a minute add the corned beef , breadcrumbs and worcester sauce. When cool roll into balls coat with milk and roll in some dry breadcrumbs. Can be eaten cold, but delicious when reheated with a tomato sauce and some pasta


Bacon and Egg Pie

This is my updated version

I packet shortcrust pastry, 5 eggs hard boiled, 4 slices bacon, 1 onion sliced and diced and sweated in a pan (or microwave). 200mls milk and 2 eggs.

Line a 9inch pie dish or flan dish with pastry, leaving some for lid. roughly chop eggs, top with cooked bacon which has been diced.(you could be lazy and used cubed pancetta or lardons) then top with onion. whisk milk and 2 eggs together and pour over top, then add lid. Cook for approx 45 mins at 195oC, or until the centre is set. I also used some grated cheese in this and it was lovely.....and just as nice cold the next day

Incidentally anyone who made the beetroot chutney I posted, try it now, it is really scrummy !!!!!!!!!!!!!! and I will make it again, I might try during the winter when I run out, the recipe with those vac packed beetroots you can get.

Regards Jan

Wow just realised we are on a new page !!

Congratulations to Jan, for being the first person on this page, and only a week ago I thought we had come to a full stop.

I really like the idea of Trying to find fairly cheap ways of ensuring that our family, or indeed just ourselves to eat healthily and as cheaply as possible.
It seems to me that we have a responsibility to be prudent and to teach our children and grandchildren that we can all cook healthy and good food. Now and again of course we all need to " splash out" for a favourite day or celebration.

Going to do some cake making today, so keeping my fingers crossed that my new oven works well as I do not have a manual. I looked on line but Miele have hundreds of ovens and I do not know the number of this one .......

Enjoy your cooking every one

Bridget

A suggestion for saving money, is to make double of a recipe...for instance, chilli, spagettie sauce, sheps pie, macoroni cheese ..... it is just a easy to make double as it is to make one meal..Use one and freeze one...

Good morning to everyone.

Greenfingers we obviously had the same lesson from our parents. I nearly always double up on food from simple meals upwards. Today I shal be cooking two cakes at the same time. As they are Christmas Cakes with a good dose of Brandy they will last for at least a year if that could ever happen in my house. I will decorate one for Christmas and the other will not be decorated. May use it at Easter or next Christmas. Who knows but at least we are "prepared.
We have a small freezer upstairs which is our main living area and then down stairs, the visitors quarters , we have a large freezer. So no problem with storage.

Not much to say at tne moment so will finish my coffee and put the cake into the oven.

Bye for now, hope everyone is well, I will be back this evening.

Bridget

And I thought I was up early !!!!!!!!! Bridget I think greowin up with parents who had survived the war instilled a different message into us...of waste not want not.Fortunately my daughter has also taken this message onboard, and her new hubbie also. They make stock from chicken carcasses and freeze, then use for risotto and the like. Perhaps that is what is missing from some childrens lives now.

Here follows a favourite of my OH

Dads favourite supper.

serves 4

750g new potatoes (tho I have used old ones) 8 saus. 1 tBsp orange marmalade, thick cut is best. 2 tBsp wholegrain mustard1/4 pt cider and a few rosemary sprigs.

Roast the potatoes by drizzling with olive oil cook for 10 mins at 180oC
Then add the sausages and put in between the pots, roast for a further 15 mins, half way turn the saus over. Make the saus by gently heating the cider,mustard and marmalade in a pan, reduce until thick
Then when saus nearly cooked pour over sauce, scatter the rosemary on top and cook for a further 10 mins until golden brown and sticky with the glaze. Lovely

I made Tuna fishcakes last night very quick and also very delicious

Serves 2

Baking potatoes about 300g, cook and scoop out flesh into a bowl.Mash in 2 tBsp Tartare sauce, 1 red onion chopped very finely, and when smooth add the tuna (a 185g tin in brine). Season. add one egg yolk. mix again then make into 4 fishcakes. Cook in a frying pan with a little oil, or if you do not want the extra calories, put onto non stick baking paper on a tray and cook in the oven. Serve with coleslaw and a few chips, or a good salae.


Have a good weekend Jan

I don't think I have put it on this thread but we came upon what has turned into my dad's favourite lunch by accident.

Cut and butter a stale cheese roll.Put in some cheese as if you were making a fresh roll to eat, Put it in the microwave for a minute.
That's it.

I like to put some sliced onion in mine.

WHY NOT ROAST THE REST OF THE PORK- CUT IT UP AND MAKE A CURRY SAUCE, TO HAVE WITH PINEAPPLE RICE--I USE COCONUT MILK INSTEAD OF WATER IN RICE GIVES A SWEETER TASTE

SHIRLX

Welcome to Sharron and Thanks to you and for your entries. Sharron please stay win us we have lots of fun and chat and if stuck for what to make on any particular day a quick look usually inspires!

I have been printing most of the recipies, have to do it one st s time because I do not know how to do otherwise. I have two larege folders which I am putting them in and on some I am adding my view of who they work out. So if anyone does not want their name in my book/ folder please let me know.

Not quite Mrs Beetons but I thought that my grandchildren might find it useful.

Today I finally made the Boiled Christmas Cake and as it was cooking it smelt delicious. I licked the spoon and the raw cake tasted good.....
I am not going to marzipan or ice this one as we do not like it, so any other ideas will be considered.

We are out tomorrow for our Christmas meal at the localy which we called "Tinsel and Mistletoe." there will be some raffles etc so plenty of fun as well.

Lasagne and salad for our main meal today,, fruit smoothy for Breakfast and have no idea what to have for supper....any suggestions???

The sky is just turning pink which I suspect means more rain but not like a few days ago.

Bye bye for now,

Best wishes to you all

Bridget :-D

Why not macoroni cheese you can use all the leftover bits of cheese for a sauce

Good afternoon

Another recipe

Bread and Butter Pudding

50g dried Apricots
2tbsp brandy or Rum
12 thin slices of White or brown bread
450g mincemeat
50g caster sugar
3 large eggs
300mil double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
150 ml milk
1 tsp Demerara sugar

1. Butter a large shallow ovenproof dish

2Heat oven to 180c / 160c fan oven gas Mark 4
3 make mincemeat sandwhiches but NOT to the crusts,
4 cut the crust a off
5 cut the sandwiches into 4 and arrange the triangles into the dish making sure that the overlap
6 beat together the caster sugar, eggs, cream, and the vanilla extract. Stir in the milk
7. Scatter the apricots over the bread and gradually pour the cream mix, making sure that all the bread is coated.
8. Leave to stand for about 30 to 60 mins so that it becomes nice and light, can be cooked emmidiatley if needed.
9 Sprinkle the demerra sugar over the pudding for about 40 mins. Should be well risen, crisp and golden.

Serve warm with creme Francis or cream, or just on it's own.

I hope you enjoy it

Bridget
:-D

I am trying to plan our Christmas family lunch for 12 and I am thinking that nearly all of it is based on pork! Sausages, pigs in blankets, gammon, etc etc etc. We all love pork but this year my son's girlfriend is coming to stay for Christmas, and she is Moslem. So how can I adapt our traditional recipes without leaving her out?

I googled for you Helen, and if you go on mideastfood.com. They have quite a few suggestions, including a yummy sounding stuffing for Turkey involving pomegranetes. You could have a starter of dips, hummus etc it looked a good site so happy hunting...and how nice for you to think so positively regarding changing the menu....you are right of course we have quite a pig based time don't we ?

Helen,
I am not sure why my first answer is not on here!

I have been looking first at the beliefs of Muslim and those that are strict Muslims are not even allowed to eat with non Muslims , so I am assuming that this does not apply to you sons girlfriend.

The main point is that they must not eat meat unless halal.

Any vegetarian food can be eaten and there are many recipies if you google Halal food. I have just gone through about 50 recipies that would be simple to make.
I guess that you should first of all ask what her likes and dislikes are.

I am going out at lunch time but later I will add some recipies, I promise.

Bridget :-)

Greenfingers, I like the sound of the pomegranate stuffing! And dips and what-have-you, sounds lovely and easy, too.

Bridget, she is not a strict Moslem, fortunately, very modern and really very English but from a Middle Eastern/Pakistani family. So she doesn't mind about Halal, for example, she says she eats any meat except pork. She stayed here once before and ate just about everything. (Except Sunday morning bacon sandwiches, obviously!)

We always have a vast amount of food available over the Christmas period, I just wanted to make sure she isn't left out. Look forward to your suggestions, thank-you.

Helen

Helen if you have an ASDA near you in their current free magazine there is a scrummy sounding nut roast recipe...if you do not have an ASDA let me know and I will post the recipe

Regards Jan

I am sure you can probably get vegetarian sausages.

Ann, you're right, I will get some vegetarian sausages and maybe turkey bacon rashers - have you tried them? I think it tastes great.
jan, we don't have an Asda near us, I would really appreciate the recipe, thank-you.

Ladies, thank-you for helping me think "outside the box".

Certainly......here it is

Veg and Nut Roast

75g brown long grain rice, 2-3 shallots chopped fine, 125g grated carrots,125g mushrooms chopped, 1 1/2 tsp marmite or veggie mite, 100 g gluten free bread made into crumbs, 50g cashew nuts finely chopped, 50g almonds finely chopped, 50 g macadamia nuts finely chopped, 150g grated cheddar (or veg cheese) 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme 2 medium eggs. Preheat oven to 180oC (160oc if fan oven). grease and line a loaf tin and line the base with baking paper Cook the rice and then drain. Fry the shallots in 1bsp olive oil and 15g butter, stir until soft, then add the mushrooms and cook until juices run out, then add marmite or veggie mite. Tip into a large bowl, add the breadcrumbs, nuts, cheese and thyme. Lightly beat the eggs and stir in, put into tin and level the top. Cover the top with foil and then bake for 30 mins, then remove the foil and cook for a further 20-30 mins . Delicious hot or cold apparently.

The other recipe that sounded good was stuffed aubergines

2 large aubergines 1 large tomato, 1 red onion chopped, 1 stick celery chopped, 1 small red pepper de seeded and chopped . 50g gluten free bread in breadcrumbs 50g walnuts chopped,

Prreheat oven to 190oC or 170o if a fan oven. slice the aubergines in half, slash the flesh take care not to cut the skin, Put on a baking tray cut side up and brush with a little olive oil bake for 15 mins. Then scoop out the flesh and roughly chop, put on a plate lined with paper towel to soak up oil. Quarter the tomato de-seed and chop the flesh. Fry the onion and celery together in a little oil until soft, add pepper and the tomato and cook for a further 3-4 mins add a pinch of cayenne Tip into a bowl and add the aubergine, breadcrumbs, walnuts and mix well pile into the aubergines push down gently. Crumble veggie cheese on top cook for 30 mins

Hope this is a help

Jan

I have recovered from the worst migraine I have had for a few years....must remember not to eat o much chocolate...and I really like the 70% chocolate!

Had major problems with both comps and my iPad this morning and it has taken OH several hours to sort out each item but he has successfully completed the task.

Jan, I am going to try your new recipe very soon as it sounds and reads as if it could be delicious.
Still cannot write to much as still have a residual headache and eyes not quite in focus but hope to be fully fit tomorrow.
Please stay posting

Bridget